MODALITY

Modality is the language user’s attitude towards the world. It is related to things such as certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity and ability.

lexical verb + THE USE OF

ability, C2, permission, VERBS

Here are examples of verbs that suggest ability (or lack of) + the noun phrase ‘the use of’: So how have we enabled the use of goats as a reliable form of currency? TED In that service, he actually lost the use of his legs, he‘s paralyzed and he uses marijuana for pain management. TED In the English Vocabulary Profile: the use of sth = C2 permission to use something, or the ability to use something We are interested in finding which verbs might suggest …

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would sooner + INFINITIVE

C2, MODALITY, phrases, preferences

At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘would sooner’ means ‘would prefer.’ For example: They would sooner sacrifice numbers to save the people. TED The most common collocate or grammar structure related here is comparative ‘than’.  For example: I would sooner resign than be forced to get the vaccine. Chicago Tribune on MSN.com A search in the NOW corpus for which infinitives are found next to ‘would sooner’ would …

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modal verb + YET

ADVERBS, C2, MODALITY, possibility

At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: could/may/might, etc. yet used to say there is still a possibility that something will happen For example: We may yet one day realize the vision of having the internet in our brains. TED And it seems like it‘s very possible that your nation, despite, actually because of the intense problems you face,  you may yet be the warning light to the world that shines most visibly, most powerfully. TED   NOW corpus search for: _VM yet _VVI 1 MAY YET PROVE 889 2 COULD YET PROVE 662 3 …

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can be + VERB-ing

B1, continuous, FUTURE, MODALITY, participle, possibility, PRESENT, true

What can be going through a man‘s mind at this moment? The Right Stuff The verb phrase “can be going” in the sentence above expresses possibility or uncertainty. The speaker is not sure what is going through the man’s mind, but they are asking for possible explanations. The word “going” is a present participle, which is a verb form that is used here to …

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had better

A2, ADVERBS, MODALITY, phrases

Had better is used to express a stronger warning or suggestion. It implies that there will be negative consequences if the advice is not followed. For example, you might say “You had better start studying now, or you’ll fail the test.”

Can you | we ? (QUESTION)

A1, active, affirmative, MODALITY, QUESTIONS, request

The page discusses the use of ‘can’ in forming questions at the A1 level of English proficiency. It highlights that ‘can’ is often used with the pronouns ‘you’ and ‘we’. The page provides examples of questions formed with ‘can’, such as “Can you help?” or “Can we talk?”. These questions can be extended for specific contexts, like “Can you help me with my homework tonight?” or “Can we talk about our plans for the upcoming vacation?”. The page serves as a guide to using ‘can’ in forming various types of questions.

can’t bear + to-infinitive

B2, gerund, infinitive, MODALITY, NEGATIVE, pattern, VERBS

In the English Vocabulary Profile at B2, ‘bear’ is defined: accept someone or something unpleasant For example: I can’t bear to see him like this. listen *There are other uses of ‘bear’ that are more advanced.  However, the sense defined above has a distinct grammar pattern: (CAN | COULD) (often negative) + bear + (to-infinitive | Verb-ing | noun phrase) Verb-ing …

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Would you mind?

B1, fixed expressions, MODALITY, polite, QUESTIONS, request

“Would you mind?” is a fixed expression that means “Is it OK with you?” or “Do you have any objection?”
It is used to make polite requests or ask for permission.
For example:
Would you mind if I borrowed your pen?
Would you mind opening the window?

must see

ADJECTIVES, MODALITY, NOUNS

Usually, ‘must’ is a modal verb. You must see this movie. You must see the difference. (see can mean understand/notice) However, ‘must’ can be a noun. It’s a must. = This is a thing that you must do. There are new combinations: As an adjective: It’s a must-see movie. =  It’s a movie that you must see. As …

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May be vs maybe (possibility)

ADVERBS, MODALITY

Here we explain the differences between may be and maybe ‘maybe‘ is usually an adverb that means ‘perhaps’ or ‘possibly’. ‘may‘ is usually a modal auxiliary verb with many uses related to ‘possibility’, ‘permission’ etc. He is in Vietnam.  (sure.) He may be in Vietnam. (50% sure.) Maybe, he is in Vietnam. (50% sure.) ‘be’ …

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‘AS’ + pronoun + ‘USED’ + to-infinitive

background, C2, highlight, MODALITY, narrative, PRONOUNS

In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 236 in the category of MODALITY is defined: ‘as’ + pronoun + ‘used to’ to add background to a narrative, often to highlight something unusual *Note this is not the “as + adjective + as” structure. Student example in a speaking test: I don’t think that they pay enough attention towards the national customs as they used to do those days. …

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